Father confesses to brutally beating sons mid-testimony at trial

JACKSON, MI - A Spring Arbor father accused of brutally beating his two sons confessed to his crimes minutes after the youngest one took the witness stand to testify against him on Tuesday.

James Harbert, 50, pleaded guilty as charged to three counts of first-degree child abuse during the first day of his criminal trial, Sept. 12, shortly after his son took the stand to tell the jury about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his parents.

His co-defendant, and now ex-wife, Tina Harbert is still on trial for first-degree child abuse charges. Her case is scheduled to resume Wednesday, Sept. 13.

Harbert is scheduled to be sentenced by Circuit Judge John McBain at 9 a.m. Oct. 25.

He was charged after grandparents discovered signs of physical abuse on their 12-year-old grandson while he was in their care on Sept. 20, 2015.

In December 2015, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office issued two counts of second-degree child abuse against Tina Harbert "for failure to protect" her sons from "serious physical harm and serious mental harm" allegedly inflicted by her then husband.

Her charges were upgraded to first-degree child abuse after her case was sent back down for another preliminary examination before District Court Judge Joseph Filip, June 20, 2016.

According to the petition from the Department of Health and Human Services to terminate Tina and James Harbert's parental rights, the boy's grandparents noticed their grandson's buttocks were "red, raw and tender" when they helped him remove his pajamas, which had stuck to his skin.

The boy's grandmother allegedly contacted Tina Harbert to inquire about his wounds as well as the well-being of the boy's 10-year-old brother, who was still in his parent's care at the time.

The woman advised Tina Harbert to contact the police and said she reported "nothing was happening" to the 10-year-old at home, while the 12-year-old's injury was caused by "being spanked too much," according to the petition.